Tag: priorities

Marcus Aurelius, last of the Five Good Emperors journaled relentlessly, reminding himself that you have power to control your reactions to the events in your life. Circumstances do not define you; your reactions to those circumstances do. “You’re better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve,” he remarked. This evergreen advice speaks directly to our generation. We procrastinate and put off DECIDING what our PRIORITIES are, and then wonder why we never realize our dreams. We take ZERO action, preferring to complain about the small things. Silent, Imperfect action will get you closer to the goal. The Good Emperor puts this more plainly than I’ve ever read elsewhere, “If it’s endurable, endure it. Stop complaining.” More than simply not sweating the small stuff. Sort out what REALLY matters to you, create priorities, and then focus relentlessly on THOSE things. The small things should fall to the bottom of the list and be ignored. Forget about haters, copiers, unkind people, unfavorable circumstances, and GRIND… Every.F’n.Day. Check out Mel Robbins on YouTube. Start by searching “Why Motivation is Garbage”, and then read her book The 5 Second Rule (book). Or…Do nothing. It’s your life, if you choose it.

“Learn to ask of all actions, ‘Why are they doing that?’ Starting with your own.” -Seneca

I watch my two year old daughter play and babble and try to get me to understand her theories. She has so much to say and when she actually takes the pacifier out of her mouth to say them, sometimes they are clear, other times we ask, “what?” about a dozen times until maybe we get it, maybe we don’t but we can’t help but smile at the interaction.

Why does she do that?

At this point her motivation is pure love and experiences. She’s learning and seeing the beauty in all things and she wants to share that with us. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows and sometimes there are fits and tantrums, but for the most part her motivations are clear.

When I examine my own motivations for why I do the things that I do…I can picture the whole hierarchy of needs. While more “Adult” I can’t help but find my motivations to be overly complex.

I’ve built positive social media accounts into my daily routine so that I can be exposed to more and more positive vibes and messages like “Do what you love” in fluorescent lights reminds me to be more like my two year old.

This blog, even if it stays small, is an effort of love. It isn’t meant to teach or preach but to let whoever sees it in I the journey. Each day in seeing evidence of a masterful journey laid out before me…perhaps by showing you the guideposts that I see, perhaps you will see yours as well. I’m not planing on figuring it all out,but rather trusting the journey to have its way with me.